Help available for caregivers

The local Home Instead Senior Care office has launched a public awareness campaign called "Family Caregiver Stress Relief" at familycaregiverstressrelief.com.

BY DWIGHT DAVISThe Dispatch

Often, caregivers need care, and they are always at risk.Some eye-opening statistics recently released by Home Instead Senior Care indicate the large number included. Nearly one-third of adults living in Davidson and Davie counties are caregivers.The stress associated with attending to a senior loved one can initiate heart disease, diabetes, depression and various other physical and emotional maladies, according to the agency.Understanding the perspective and importance of the role of a caregiver is imperative, points out Jane Hayes, 57, of Lexington, who knows the job from two sides. She is a Home Instead caregiver as well as the primary family caregiver for her father."They need someone to vent to other than family members," says Hayes, whose 93-year-old father suffers from water on the brain, which creates anxiety and loss of balance. "Many family members interpret venting as griping. You need to talk to a nonpartisan person. They will listen and don't judge."Though her stress level sometimes reaches its limit, being a professional caregiver allows her to better cope with the situation. She also picks up from school and baby-sits two granddaughters ages 8 and 10.Hayes notes that she is fortunate to have a close family. Others are not so fortunate, she says. "Many families have relatives who live out of state, so they can't really trade off. They will need someone outside the family to take the load off."For three years the Lexington resident also attended to her mother, who had crippling arthritis."She is a prime example of a family caregiver who has a full-time job and managing a family," said Shanna Jay, franchise owner of the local Home Instead Senior Care office.Also, Hayes is typical of a caregiver who finds it difficult to enjoy leisure time and do such things as take a vacation.In response to this growing issue, the local Home Instead Senior Care office has launched a public awareness campaign called "Family Caregiver Stress Relief" at familycaregiverstressrelief.com to help family caregivers determine if they are at risk for distress and to minimize problems before they escalate.Included in the program are: The Are You a Caregiver Quiz, which is designed to help a family caregiver self-identify and recognize the role of a caregiver, and the Family Caregiver Distress Assessment, adapted for the Home Instead Senior Care network by Dr. Peter Vitaliano of the University of Washington. The assessment allows caregivers to determine their risk for distress and resulting emotional and physical issues."So many spouses and adult children are unaware of their potential risk of caregiver distress because they don't see themselves as caregivers," Jay said. "These new resources enable them to understand their role, the stresses they may face as a caregiver, and how that stress might lead to more serious health effects." A recent Home Instead Senior Care study reveals that caregivers are prone to hiding their emotions and, as a result, their health suffers. Approximately 74 percent of caregivers who hide their feelings report fatigue, 53 percent report difficulty sleeping, 37 percent report depression and 30 percent weight gain or loss.Home Instead research also shows that certain characteristics make family caregivers more vulnerable to caregiver distress. The top three characteristics are:• Gender: Women report more psychological distress than men (however, male caregivers have more negative physiological responses to caregiving, including higher blood sugar and insulin levels, poorer cholesterol and immune function, and obesity). • Reluctance to ask for help: Caregivers who won't ask for help are setting themselves up for the kind of exhaustion that can lead to distress.• Chronic illness: Caregivers who are already sick or have existing medical conditions, such as coronary disease, hypertension and cancer, are more vulnerable to additional negative health effects resulting from caregiver stress. "It's important for caregivers to understand that stress can impact one's ability to care. If they don't care for themselves, they may put their senior loved ones at risk. Whether it's support groups, stress management techniques or respite help, caregivers need to realize the importance of managing their health, too," Jay said.For more information about the services of the Home Instead Senior Care office serving Davidson and Davie counties, call 249-1011 or visit www.homeinstead.com/122.Dwight Davis can be reached at 249-3981, ext, 226 or at dwight.davis@the-dispatch.com.

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